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Avenge Ragnar Lothbrok
Avenge Ragnar Lothbrok or the avenging of the death of King Ragnar was a full scale military operation led by the Great Heathen Army in England in order to exact vengence on King Aelle, who executed Ragnar Lothbrok, considered to be the greatest hero of Norse history, and King Ecbert, who gave the latter away reluctantly to Aelle for him to execute. Prelude The operation was set into motion by Ragnar himself, desiring to exact vengence on King Ecbert for ordering the annhiliation of the Viking farming community in Wessex that Ragnar had created nearly a decade earlier, breaking the agreement that the two had formed in return for helping Ecbert reclaim Mercia. However, with the combination of his failed Attack on Paris at the hands of Rollo as well as the revelation that Ragnar had concealed the truth about the Wessex community's destruction, much of the people turned against him. Thus, consumed with guilt and ready to die, Ragnar traveled to England with his son Ivar and a small party that he was forced to hire with his previous plunder, through much of the party was destroyed in a storm, and the survivors killed by Ragnar and Ivar. Ragnar and Ivar traveled to Winchester, where they were captured by Saxon forces and brought before Ecbert. Ragnar asks Ecbert to kill him, but Ecbert refuses (knowing that if he did, Ragnar's sons would exact revenge and ravage his country, dooming many of his countrymen to death as well as Ecbert himself and his family. At the same time, Ecbert knows that he cannot release Ragnar, as such an act would completely turn his countrymen (as well as his son and likely the Church itself) against him. Thus, Ecbert agrees to hand Ragnar over to King Aelle( who both agree is more than eager to exact revenge on Ranger and kill him, as well as too foolish to realize that doing so would essentially be signing his own death warrent) and arrange safe passage for Ivar to go home. Ragnar promises that his sons will seek vengeance against Northumbria, not Wessex. Ragnar agrees to this, however breaks his word on this and tells Ivar to take revenge on Ecbert, and to be ruthless. Ragnar is then transported to Northumbria and is tortured by Aelle, which includes hanging Ragnar in a cage while his men poke spears and torches through the bottom, carving a cross on his head, and stabbing him in the stomach. Ultimately, Ragnar is dropped into a pit of venemous snakes where he dies. After his death, an apparation of Odin appears to all of Ragnar's sons to bring news of his death to them. Preparation After Ivar returned from England, the sons of Ragnar begin planning their revenge. Although they initally plan to attack only King Aelle at first due to the larger size of Ecbert's kingdom and considerable forces, Ivar convinces them to attack King Ecbert as well. In order to be able to defeat both kings, they decide to form a massive army, calling upon as many warriors a spossible to come together in order to avenge the death of one of the greatest Viking legends in history. Many flock to their cause, creating a coalition of Norse warriors originating from Denmark, Norway, Sweden. After returning from the Mediterranean, Bjorn takes command of the Great Heathen Army. In England, Aethelwulf prepares for the inevitable attack, being placed in charges of preparing Wessex and Mercia's defenders by Ecbert, who is psychologically despondent after Ragnar's death. Meanwhile, King Aelle is warned by his daughter Judith that Ragnar's sons will return to avenge his death, but simply scoffs at the idea of fleeing, claiming that he is already prepared for retaliation. The Invasion Once the Great Heathen Army landed in England, they chose to go after King Aelle first. They thus attacked Northumbria, annihilating the Northumbrian army at the battle of York and capturing Aelle, preforming the blood-eagle on him in retaliation for Ragnar's death. With the death of Aelle, the Great Heathen army marches south, terrorizing the countryside. After learning about the decimation of Aelle's army and the sheer size of the Viking army, Prince Aethelwulf gathers a large army in Wessex and moves to intercept the advancing Vikings in Repton. However, due in large part to Ivar's suggestion of changing their tactics and scouting the battlefield to look for advantages, the Vikings utterly crush the West Saxon forces at the battle of Repton, shattering the Saxon army and leaving a clear path to Wessex and Ecbert. Aethelwulf flees to Ecbert's capital to ready its evacuation, knowing that they have no chance of holding out against a Viking siege with their depleted numbers. However, King Ecbert refuses to leave(knowing that if he did, the Viking forces would simply continue to chase him across the country) and cedes the crown of Wessex and Mercia to his son, who then flees with the remainder of the army and the royal family, leaving only Ecbert, the bishop Edmund, and two guards. The Vikings arrive at Winchester and smash the doors down with a battering ram. However, they discover only an empty castle, much to Bjorn's frustration. The Viking forces then sack the capitol, setting many buildings aflame. During the sack, Edmund and the guards are killed while Ecbert is captured. The sons of Ragnar argue over what to do with the captured King, with Ivar demanding the blood eagle for Ecbert, but Bjorn reminds his brothers of Ragnar's dream of settlement, and agrees to allow Ecbert to choose his own death in exchange for signing over East Anglia, unaware that Ecbert had abdicated the crown to his son, thus making his deal with the Vikings worthless. Ecbert then killed himself in his Roman bath. Aftermath With the deaths of both King Aelle and King Ecbert, the original goal of the campaign was fufilled. However, with the loss of their unified goal, the sons of Ragnar began to fight amongst themselves, with Bjorn Ironsides relinquishing command of the army and deciding to return to the Mediterranean, taking a portion of the fleet with him. Furthermore, tensions escalted when Ivar Lothbrook murdered his brother Sigurd in the heat of an argument. Ultimately, the army decided to travel northwards and size the city of York. = Battles Battle of York Battle of Repton Sack of Winchester Category:Events Category:Campaigns